The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to the sixth-overall pick to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane last week. Here is an analysis of Delane’s strengths, areas needing improvement and his fit with the Chiefs:
Delane’s tape is clean. There aren’t many mistakes you’ll see watching him. He’s good across schemes and doesn’t have a standout weakness.
Delane is best as a zone corner to me. He’s very good at playing from an off-man position. He has plenty of speed to cover a vertical route from any receiver. He can stay in-phase and tighten throwing windows downfield by himself.
His change of direction and balance are also good from an off-man position. He can easily change directions and recover on any break a receiver gives him. Double moves or pivot routes don’t work well against Delane due to his balance and ability to start and stop.
#LSU CB Mansoor Delane continues to play like the best cover man (zone or man) in CFB. Easy NFL starter grade as a prospect.3 PD, 1 INT vs. Arkansas pic.twitter.com/VpYuxx0hpf
Despite having a skinnier frame, Delane does a great job recovering against physicality at the top of the route. When a receiver tries to create separation with a pushoff, Delane can absorb it and stay in stride. If he ever loses at the top of the route, Delane has the speed to recover and tighten the throwing window.
Delane’s instincts in zone coverage are also great. There are many film clips of him trailing off routes to take away an open vertical concept. For example, Delane will trail off a hitch in Cover 3 to defend a seam route from the slot receiver, which is a weakness of that coverage. It’s hard to bait Delane into making a wrong decision.
I charted 4 true coverage man/match reps between KC Concepcion and Mansoor Delane pic.twitter.com/M929hwiJp6
In man coverage, Delane isn’t quite as strong, but he’s still a good player. His change of direction and speed allowed him to defend quicker receivers across the field. Delane can defend slot receivers, who typically get more space to run routes based on the formation and pick routes.
Delane doesn’t have the strongest hands with his jam, but he has underrated strength to stay physical with receivers downfield. He’s better at mirroring guys and reacting, but he can mix up his techniques.
Delane can win at the catchpoint impressively despite his skinnier frame. Delane’s positioning, staying tight to receivers, helps mitigate his lack of elite size and length. He also tracks the ball well in the air and can get his hand around to deflect a pass.
Delane also shows some skills as a blitzer, which is good for when the Chiefs want to put him in the slot. He’s explosive closing to the ball and can get in the air to deflect passes. He wasn’t able to do this at LSU since he was mainly an outside cornerback, but that could be an area the Chiefs decide to use Delane more in.
The questions about Delane’s transition to the NFL start with his physique. While his strength and physicality are impressive, he is still on the skinnier side of elite cornerback prospects. How will Delane fare against some of the stronger receivers in the league? I’m not worried about Delane’s speed translating against receivers, but his lack of size could flare up as an issue.
Delane will need to continue to be great at positioning his body and absorbing contact at the top of routes, easier said than done, moving from college to the NFL. Pro receivers will try to box them out with their frame, and Delane will need to absorb contact and recover. Delane’s ability to track the ball can help with this.
Delane will also need to get off blocks better at the NFL level, particularly if the Chiefs ever want him in the slot. Trent McDuffie was elite getting off blocks, and hopefully, Delane gets there as well. He’ll have to show the strength and technique to set the edge when teams throw screens at him or run in his direction.
Delane should be able to translate to the Chiefs’ defense instantly. He’s good across schemes and techniques, which plays into how defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wants to deploy his most talented defensive backs.
My guess is the Chiefs will run less man coverage this year with some of the new faces in the secondary. Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton are better at reading and reacting in their zone responsibilities with safety help. Delane will have no problems adjusting to that scheme.
I’m curious if Delane will ever get to play in the slot for this defense. If Chamarri Conner, Kadar Kohou, or Jadon Canady struggle to cover slot receivers, could the Chiefs put Delane in the slot with Fulton and Williams outside? If Spags wants his three best cornerbacks on the field, that might be what needs to be done.
I still wouldn’t have preferred the Chiefs to trade up for a cornerback in this draft. That being said, there’s no doubt Delane is a very good prospect who will help this defense. He’s a great fit for what the Chiefs ask from cornerbacks and should be a Day 1 impact player.
It’s hard to know what the Chiefs’ defense will be able to pull off schematically with many new faces, but the value of a player like Delane is that he will adjust and make the most of any scheme. He’ll be good across different game plans, and that’s valuable. As the franchise reshapes this defense for the next phase of Chiefs football, Delane will be a good piece regardless.